Method and means of removing draft gear



June 17, 1941. R M, NELSON 2,245,996 J METHOD AND MEANS OF REMOVING DRAFT GEAR Filed Aug. '31, 1940 2 sheets shee't 1 Robertzmzvezson,

June 17, 1941. R. M. NELSON METHOD AND MEANS OF REMOVING DRAFT GEAR Filed Aug. 31, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gnaw/Wm 1206 ertMll/elson,

Patented June 17, 1941 B shares r Robert M. Nelson, Evanston, 111., assignor to Peerless Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware 7 Application August 31, 1940, Serial No. 355,078

6 Claims.

This invention relates to draft gears for railway cars, and has for its general object to provide a novel method and means of greatly facilitating the removal of draft gears from their Dockets in car underframe structures whenever this becomes necessary or desirable for gear replacement, repair or other purposes, thereby greatly to reduce the time, labor and expense heretofore involved in such operations.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel method and means for the purpose stated as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated. in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a draft gear operatively positioned in its pocket in a car under-frame structure and illustrating one method and means in accordance with the invention of facilitating removal of the gear from its pocket.

Figure 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the gear compressed.

Figure 3 is a central, vertical section through the front part of the gear and the means for compressing the same.

Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 5-4 of Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating an alternative means for compressing the gear.

Figure 6 is another view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating another alternative means of compressing the gear; and

Figure '7 is a central, vertical section through the front part of the Fig. 6 construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally, according to each of the illustrated embodiments of the invention, a car under-frame structure comprising, as usual, a pair of parallel, spaced apart sills It, 10 which are understood to be fixed to the bottom of a car and which have fixed thereto and extending inwardly therefrom front and rear pairs of stop lugs H, H and 12, 12, respectively, defining therebetween a draft gear pocket.

The draft gear illustrated in the present instance is of the known type comprising a casing it open at its front end and closed at its rear end and having in'its front end portion an annular series of friction shoes 14; a shoe expanding wedge element 15 operatively engaged with the front end portions of said shoes; spring means 16 interposed between the rear end of said casing and said shoes and exerting force forwardly upon said shoes whereby the latter normally are maintained expanded by the wedge element l5 and, in response to inward movement of said wedge element, are further expanded into engagement with the casing 13 to frictionally resist inward movement of said wedge element; and a rod [1 extending axially through the casing it and the wedge element l5 and held at its rear end by the rear wall of the casing against forward movement relative to the casing and having on its front end a nut or other suitable stop 18 cooperating with the Wedge element IE to limit expansion of the gear under the influence of the spring means Iii, thus to maintain the gear parts in operative assembly with one another.

Also comprising part of the draft gear as herein contemplated, although entirely separate from the casing I3 and the related parts just enumerated, is a yoke I9 and a main front follower 20. As usual, the yoke l9 includes a rear portion 2| extending across the rear end of the casing 13, arms 22 extending forwardly from said rear portion El in embracing relationship to said casing l3, and webs 23 connecting the front end portions of said arms and slotted as indicated at 24 for the reception of a key 25 for connecting a coupler butt (not shown) to said yoke. Also as usual, the main front follower 20 is interposed between the wedge element I5 and the webs 23 and has its ends disposed behind the front pair of stop lugs H, H for transmitting to said lugs,

and thereby to the car, draft forces applied to the gear through the yoke 19, the casing I3 and its associated parts. In this connection it will be understood, of course, that the coupler butt normally has its inner end disposed against the front face of the main front follower 2i! so that buffing forces applied to the coupler are transmitted to the car through the gear and therear pair of stop lugs l2.

The spring means is are very powerful and are at all times under compression. Therefore, even when the gear is not subjected to either draft or buffing forces, the casing i3 is urged rearwardly and the friction shoes It, the wedge element 15 and the main front follower 20 are urged forwardly, with the result that the front face of the follower 2i and the rear end of the casing 13 are urged powerfully into engagement with the front and rear pairs of stop lugs H, H

and I2, I2, respectively. Great friction conse.

quently is set up between the follower 20, the casing l3 and the stop lugs, thereby rendering removal of the gear from its pocket for replacement, repair or other purposes by previously known methods and means extremely laborious, time-consuming and expensive.

According to the present invention the gear may be removed from its pocket quite expeditiously by a method involving the use of a comparatively inexpensive piece of equipment comprising a mechanical, hydraulic or other suitable type of jack J which may have a variety of specifically different forms. In this connection and referring particularly to the Figs. 1 to 4 illustration of the invention, it will be observed that the jack J is conventional in that it comprises a housing 25 and a plunger 21, but that it is unconventional in that it includes, as parts of its housing 26, a pair of slotted arms 28 disposed, respectively, at opposite sides of the plunger 21.

In using the jack J to facilitate removal of the draft gear from its pocket the first step is to remove the key 25 to disconnect the coupler from the gear and to remove the coupler, which does not involve difliculties. The jack J then is positioned in the space made available by the removed coupler with the free end of its plunger 21 in engagement with, or disposed to engage with the front face of the follower 20 and with its arms 28 disposed to accommodate in the slots thereof the key 25 when said key is replaced in the slots of the webs 23, it being noted in this respect that the plunger 21 is forked or slotted to accommodate the key 25. The key then is replaced by being passed through the slots of the webs 23, the arms 28 and the plunger 21. The jack then is actuated to force its plunger 2'! outwardly, which obviously results in an outward pulling force being exerted upon the casing l3 through the yoke l9, as indicated by the arrows at, and in an inward pushing force being exerted against the follower 20 by the plunger 21, as indicated by the arrow b. The gear thereby is compressed or foreshortened and pressure of the casing and the follower against the stop lugs is relieved. Any suitable means then is employed to hold the gear compressed upon release of the jack. The jack then is released and removed and the key 25 again is removed, whereupon the gear may be lowered from its pocket without difiiculty.

While any suitable means may be employed to hold the gear compressed upon release of the jack, one simple, practical means for this purpose may comprise simply a piece of rod 29 the free end portion of which is inserted between the nut l8 and the adjacent face of the wedge element when the gear is compressed so as thereby to act as a stop element to hold the gear compressed when the jack is released. In the present instance the wedge element I5 is illustrated as a hollow body housing the nut l8, and as being provided with a plurality of openings 36 through any one of which the rod 29 may be inserted to its operative position between the nut I8 and the adjacent face of said wedge element. It is to be understood, however, that the gear illustrated has been selected merely as representative of gears of various other specifically different constructions which may be removed from their pockets in accordance with the general principles of the present method and means, and that, therefore, in the case of any particular gear, a jack of any suitable construction may be used for compressing same and any suitable means other than the means herein described may be used for holding the gear compressed upon release of the jack.

Figure 5 of the drawings illustrates an alternative form of jack for use in practicing the method. According to the Figure 5 illustration the jack housing 26 is provided with lugs 3| to abut the front end of the car under-frame structure, and the jack plunger 2'! is slotted to accommodate the coupler key 25 When this jack is actuated its plunger is retracted, thereby compressing the gear by pulling the yoke 19 and the casing Ill forwardly, since the jack housing is held against rearward movement by the car under-frame structure. In other respects the method involved is the same as heretofore described.

Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings illustrate another alternative form of jack for use in practicing the method. According to the Figures 6 and '7 illustrations the jack housing 26 is provided with a lug 32 to engage behind a part of the car under-frame structure and the jack plunger 21 is engageable directly with the front of the main front follower 20 When this jack is actuated its plunger is projected and since the jack housing is held against forward movement by the engagement of its lug 32 with the car under-frame structure, the gear thereby is compressed. In other respects, the method involved in using the jack illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is the same as set forth in connection with the other figures of the drawings.

While the drawings illustrate only a. vertical yoke type of draft gear, and only one specific form of this type of gear, it is pointed out that the general method and means comprising the invention are equally as well adapted for use in connection with various other specifically different forms of vertical yoke gears as well as with various specifically different forms of horizontal yoke gears, and that the gear illustrated therefore represents a mere arbitrary selection from a number of specifically different forms of gears any one of which might have been selected for purposes of illustrating the invention in view of the impracticability of illustrating all of them. It is to be definitely understood, therefore, that the appended claims are to be construed in this light and not as limiting the method and means comprising the invention to use in connection with a draft gear as shown.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of manipulating a draft gear to facilitate removal of the same from its pocket in a car under-frame structure which comprises applying force to the gear to compress the same, inserting means between parts of the gear to hold same compressed and loosened with respect to its pocket for free removal therefrom upon removal of the compression force, and then removing the compression force to free the gear for removal from its pocket.

2. The method of manipulating a draft gear to facilitate removal of the same from its pocket in a car under-frame structure, said gear being of the type comprising a casing, friction shoes therein, shoe expanding wedge means cooperating with said friction shoes, spring means cooperating with said friction shoes counter to said Wedge means, and means including a rod engaged with the casing and extending loosely through the Wedge means and having a stop thereon for cooperation with the wedge means to hold the gear parts assembled, said method comprising applying force to the gear to compress the same, inserting means between said stop and said wedge means to hold the gear compressed and loosened .with respect to its pocket for free removal therefrom upon removal of the compression force, and then removing the compression force to free the gear for removal from its pocket.

3. The method of manipulating a draft gear to facilitate removal of the same from its pocket in a car under-frame structure which comprises applying a jack to the car under-frame structure and to the gear so that the jack may react from said structure to compress the gear, actuating the jack to compress the gear, inserting means between parts of the gear to hold same compressed and loosened with respect to its pocket for free removal therefrom upon release of the jack, and then releasing the jack to free the gear for removal from its pocket.

4. A draft gear comprising a casing, friction shoes therein, a shoe expanding wedge element cooperating with said friction shoes, spring means c ooperating with said friction shoes counter to said wedge element, and means including a rod engaged with the casing and extending loosely through said wedge element and having a stop thereon for cooperation with said wedge element to hold the gear parts assembled, said wedge element having an opening therein through which an instrument may be inserted to a position between a portion of said wedge element and said stop when the gear is compressed so as to hold the gear compressed for free insertion into and removal from its pocket in a car under-frame structure.

5. A draft gear comprising a casing, friction shoes therein, a shoe expanding wedge element cooperating with said friction shoes, spring means cooperating with said friction shoes counter to said Wedge element, and means including a rod engaged with the casing and extending loosely through said wedge element and having a stop thereon for cooperation with said wedge element to hold the gear parts assembled, said wedge element being constructed and arranged to permit an instrument to be applied in a position between a portion of said wedge element and said stop when the gear is compressed so as to hold the gear compressed for free insertion into and removal from its pocket in a car under-frame structure.

6. A draft gear comprising a casing, friction shoes therein, a shoe expanding wedge element cooperating with said friction shoes, spring means cooperating with said friction shoes counter to said wedge element, and means including a rod engaged with the casing and extending loosely through said wedge element and having a stop thereon for cooperation with said wedge element to hold the gear parts assembled, said wedge element being constructed and arranged to permit an instrument to be applied in a position between a portion of said wedge element and said stop to hold the gear compressed for removal from its pocket in a car under-frame structure, and gear compressing means constructed for support by and within said car under-frame structure in operative relationship to the Wedge element for reactance from the former to move the latter inwardly away from said stop element.

ROBERT M. NELSON. 

